BIG BAMBOO

Posted: June 4, 2014 in Food, garden, Rhode Island, Southern New England, Uncategorized
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I grow two varieties of bamboo in my yard, and although they are quite invasive, I have my own methods of keeping the plants in check.

One stand of bamboo is in a corner of my yard that is overrun by brambles and other nasty vines. So I have no issues with the bamboo taking over this area at all. I’d rather have a desirable invasive than an ugly one.

The other stand of bamboo is a larger variety that grows to 25 feet tall, and it requires more maintenance to keep it in the area I want it to stay in. So, when some of the shoots get in my way, I simply cut them with a hacksaw and use them in my garden.

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I use them as tomato stakes, supports for my cucumbers vines, and even pea brush, as shown here. For pea brush, I don’t remove the smaller side branches, which gives something for the peas to attach to.

 

Peas with pea brush, kale, spinach.

Peas with pea brush, kale, spinach.

 

A great way to give my garden a more natural look, rather than having rusty metal poles everywhere.

GREEK-STYLE SHRIMP

Posted: June 1, 2014 in Food, restaurants, Santorini, seafood, shrimp, travel, Uncategorized
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Though it may sound Japanese, the word “saganaki” refers to a small frying pan used in Greek cooking. The most famous of these dishes, simply called saganaki, is a fried cheese, often flamed at the end with a little ouzo.

Shrimp saganaki is one of my favorite Greek dishes, and it usually involves cooking shrimp in a tomato-based sauce with plenty of feta cheese sprinkled in. It’s a simple yet fantastic dish if the ingredients are fresh. Doesn’t hurt to be sitting in a taverna on the beautiful island of Santorini while eating it, either!

Graviera cheese

Graviera cheese

I had a slab of Graviera cheese from my most recent trip to Santorini, and decided to recreate shrimp saganaki using that instead of feta. It was pretty damn amazing…

Melty, gooey, delicious!

Melty, gooey, delicious!

 

Ingredients:

 

300 g grated Graviera cheese

1 can (28 oz) whole tomatoes

1 lb (about 24) shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 medium onion, chopped

juice of 1/2 lemon

1/4 cup olive oil

2 cloves garlic, through a press

pinch red pepper flakes

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh dill, finely chopped

1 tablespoon fresh oregano, finely chopped

1 1/2 tablespoons Ouzo

salt and pepper

 

Peel and devein the shrimp. Squeeze the juice of  1/2 of a lemon on to the shrimp and toss. Set aside.

In a large pan, saute the onions in the olive oil until translucent. Add garlic and cook for a few seconds more.

Crush or puree tomatoes and add to the pan. Add red pepper flakes, dill and oregano, and salt and pepper. Add Ouzo.

Let this sauce cook down for a bit until all the flavors have blended together.

Pour a layer of the sauce on the bottom of a metal broiler-proof pan. Lay the shrimp in a single layer into the sauce. Cover the shrimp with the rest of the sauce and sprinkle the grated Graviera on top.

Place the pan in the broiler and cook until the cheese is brown and bubbly.

shrimp saganaki

 

 

THE BEST ESPRESSO MARTINI

Posted: May 29, 2014 in Cocktails, drink recipes, espresso, MARTINI, mixology
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Alz Espresso martini

Alz Espresso martini

One of my recent mixology projects was to finally create my own version of the perfect espresso martini…one that has been developed from painstaking research (that means drinking a lot of other espresso martinis.) My favorite local espresso martini here in Rhode Island comes from Asterisk in Newport. They sell thousands of them in the summer season, and part of their success is using freshly brewed espresso. But overall, my favorite espresso martini was one that I sampled a couple of years ago at the Le Parker Meridien Hotel in New York City. It featured an Irish cream liqueur called Coole Swan. The bartender was nice enough to write down the recipe for me, but I guess I had a little too much to drink…because I lost it! So it was up to me to come up with my own combination.   So here it is… ALZ ESPRESSO MARTINI 3 oz. good quality vodka, like Belvedere 3 oz. freshly brewed espresso 1.5 oz. Kahlua 1.5 oz. Coole Swan Chill your martini glasses. Pour all ingredients into a large shaker with ice. Shake vigorously. Pour into chilled glasses. Makes 2 martinis. Let me tell ya…this tasted as good the first time as it did several martinis later! I’ve found that using a high-end vodka really does make a difference in the quality and taste of the martini…as does brewing your espresso just before assembling the drink.

NEED A FAST-GROWING VINE? TRY HOPS!

Posted: May 24, 2014 in grilling, Rhode Island, Southern New England, travel
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If you’re looking for a fast-growing vine to cover an arbor or other structure, nothing grows faster than hops…that’s right, like the hops in your beer! Hops farms in Germany grow the vines vertically, extending lines up to 30 feet in the air.

Once you’ve bought a few hops plants, they will reward you with interesting healthy vines that will spread quickly. And soon, you’ll also be able to split large plants and transplant them to other areas of your yard.

Early in the season, and the vines are already 2 feet up!

Early in the season, and the vines are already 2 feet up!

The vines are strong, the leaves are beautiful, and the hops flowers smell great and are different from anything else you may have in your garden. And if you brew your own beer, how cool is it to have one of your ingredients growing in your yard?

A bed of hostas below, the hops grow up this "umbrella" every year.

A bed of hostas below, the hops grow up this “umbrella” every year.

Hops are hardy perennials that will come back bigger and stronger every year. In the fall, the leaves die off and leave a wooden skeleton behind that looks great in the winter and also supplies birds with nesting material the following spring.

You can find hops plants on Amazon.

SPICY SOY TUNA TACOS

Posted: May 22, 2014 in Food, seafood, spicy, taco, tuna
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Whenever I serve these tuna tacos to friends, I always get requests for the recipe. It requires a bit of setting up, but you can put it together right before serving to your guests…or yourself.

I prefer to use sushi grade tuna for this dish, which is easily found in small frozen “bricks” at Whole Foods or similar stores.

SPICY SOY MARINATED TUNA ON TACO CHIPS

Marinade…
6 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon pepper oil
Topping…
¼ cup sour cream
1 Tablespoon fresh squeezed lime juice
Chopped fresh scallions
Other Ingredients…
½ lb sushi grade raw tuna, chopped into ¼-inch cubes
Tortilla chips

Finely chopped scallions

Assemble…

Make the Topping in a bowl first, and place in the fridge. Mix marinade ingredients in a separate bowl. Chop tuna into ¼-inch cubes, and marinate in soy/oil mix for just 10 minutes, then drain. Keep cold!

Just before serving, take a tortilla chip, place 1 Tablespoon of tuna on top, top this with ½ teaspoon sour cream mixture, and garnish with chopped scallions.

Eat these quickly, before the tuna makes the tortilla soggy!

 

CHIVE TALKIN’

Posted: May 20, 2014 in Food, garden, pizza, Uncategorized
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This is the time of year when the chives in my herb garden are busting out with blossoms. Before they pop, I head out every few days and snip the larger blossoms off the chive plants and wrap bunches of them in Ziploc bags and freeze them.

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I use those blossoms over the course of the next year on my signature marinated beef and chive blossom pizza. I just take a packet of chive blossoms out of the freezer, and sauté them for just a bit in olive oil and salt and pepper, then place them on the pizza before baking.

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The chive blossoms not only add great flavor, but they look cool on the plate, too. Great as a side for almost any meat dish.

 

SOY AND HONEY GLAZED CHICKEN THIGHS

Posted: May 18, 2014 in Carnivore!, chicken, Food, grilling, marinade
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Soy sauce, citrus and honey is always a winning combination with chicken. The addition of toasted anise seeds adds that touch of licorice without overpowering it. The sugar in the honey can make these thighs burn, so keep an eye on them. But I do like a touch of char on my chicken!

chix thighs

 

Ingredients:

 

2 teaspoons anise seed
4 cloves garlic, through a press
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
8 chicken thighs (about 4 lb), skin on

Toast the anise seed in a small dry skillet over medium heat, tossing until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Let it cool to room temp and then grind with a mortar and pestle or coffee grinder. (I have one I use just for spices.)
Combine anise seed, garlic, lime juice, soy sauce and honey. Pour into a large Ziploc bag and add chicken thighs. Squish around to make sure thighs are well coated.
Marinate for several,hours, or better: overnight.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. 
Cover a sheet pan with non-stick aluminum foil and place thighs skin-side down on foil.
Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, then flip thighs over and cook another 15 to 20 minutes.

PASTA WITH ASPARAGUS AND SAUSAGE

Posted: May 14, 2014 in asparagus, Carnivore!, cheese, Food, Italian, pork, Recipes, sausage
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asparagus pastaAsparagus season has arrived in my garden. This is one of my favorite ways to enjoy it.
Ingredients:
4 mild Italian sausages, sliced into pieces 1/2″ thick
1 lb penne pasta
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 cup chopped fresh trumpet mushrooms (white button mushrooms work, too)
2 cups fresh asparagus, sliced into 1-inch pieces
1 clove garlic, passed through a garlic press
1 cup homemade chicken broth
6 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
Have the pasta water boiling, and add pasta, cooking until just a bit more undercooked than al dente.
Heat a large pan, and drizzle in some olive oil. Sautee sausage pieces until browned and cooked through, but not over cooked. Remove sausages from the pan and place in a separate bowl. Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the fat left behind in the pan.
Place pan back on stove and saute onions until translucent. Add garlic, and saute for 10 seconds. Add sage, and saute for 10 seconds, stirring. Add chopped mushrooms and saute for a few minutes, then add chicken broth, and simmer until almost all the liquid has evaporated. Pour contents of the pan into the bowl with the sausages.
Return pan to the stove, add a little more olive oil, and on medium heat, saute the asparagus pieces. Cook until they are al dente, not too soft. Once the asparagus has reached this stage, return all the contents of the sausage/mushroom bowl to the pan to heat through. Drain the pasta, and add it to the pan as well, combining all the ingredients. If it looks too dry, add a little pasta water to the pan. Season with salt and pepper.
Make sure you serve this hot, with grated Parmigiano Reggiano on top, and drizzle lightly over the top with extra virgin olive oil.

 

LIKE BUTTAH

Posted: May 10, 2014 in Food, Recipes
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Butter is like Play-Doh for foodies: you can mold it and mix it with whatever ingredients you like. Go to a fancy steakhouse, and you’ll get a slab of their “house butter” with your bread, or melted on top of your hunk of beef.

It’s incredibly easy to make your own at home…and there are no rules: add whatever you like and leave out what you don’t.

My buttah…

butter

 

Ingredients:

 

8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon each: fresh rosemary, thyme, and oregano…finely chopped

pinch of granulated garlic and onion powder

 

Let the butter soften. Add the rest of the ingredients and combine well with a fork.

Take a piece of plastic wrap and lay it down on the counter. Smear the butter mixture onto the plastic with a spatula, forming a rough log. Roll the plastic wrap tightly lengthwise, tightening the log into a nice long round cylinder about 1 1/2″ thick. Twist the ends of the plastic wrap to remove any air bubbles.

Freeze and slice a piece off when you need it. When cooking a steak, simply let the warmth of the beef melt the slab of butter while you eat…

SLOPPY JOSE

Posted: May 6, 2014 in beef, burgers, Carnivore!, cheese, Food, Recipes, taco
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My name for a messy yet delicious taco on a bun. I had leftover taco meat and leftover barbecue sauce…recipes from two previous blogs. Putting them together with a sprinkling of Mexican cheese on a bun with lettuce and tomato made for one sloppy but delicious sandwich!

sloppy jose

How to make one…

For the barbecue sauce, I used the sauce inspired by Franklin’s Barbecue in Austin, Texas, as featured in my last blog: http://wp.me/p1c1Nl-qX

For the seasoned taco meat…

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon granulated garlic

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon crushed pepper flakes

1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano

1 teaspoon paprika

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 Spanish onion, finely chopped

olive oil

2lbs. grass-fed ground beef

 

Combine all the spice ingredients in a bowl.

Saute the onions in a bit of olive oil until translucent. Add the beef and saute until cooked, mixing in the spice mixture a little at a time until you’ve used it all.

 

For the sandwich…

Take some of the taco meat and place it in a small non-stick pan and heat on medium. Squirt in as much of the barbecue sauce as you like, mixing thoroughly. Sprinkle some grated Mexican cheese on top, mixing thoroughly and letting it all melt together into one warm, gooey mess. Throw it on a bun. Add lettuce, tomato, avocado slices, whatever you like!

 

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